The Choice
by belasgrl
Summary: Brian Griffin never expected his family to spiral downward. What will happen to his niece when everything goes wrong?
1. A Normal Visit

Brian Griffin pulled up his Prius in his brother's driveway. The only one outside was his niece, Alexis. As soon as he got out of the car, the teenage girl ran to him and hugged him. "Uncle Brian!" she said, happily.

The canine smiled and hugged her. "Hey, Alex. Are your parents home?"

Alexis's expression rapidly changed. "Yeah," she replied, unenthusiastically.

They went inside the house, where they found Peter Griffin sitting on the couch, watching television. "Hey, Brian," Peter said.

"Hey, Peter," Brian greeted.

"Sit down. Oh, you gotta watch this show, bro."

"Alright. I guess I can stay for a little bit."

"Want a beer?"

"Nah. I'm driving later."

"Come on. One beer won't hurt."

Not wanting to argue, Brian went into the kitchen, where he found his sister-in-law, Lois, cooking. She turned toward him and smiled. "Hi, Brian."

"Hi, Lois. Is it okay if I get a soda?"

"Of course. Are you staying for lunch?"

"I was only planning on staying for a little bit, but if it's not an imposition-"

Lois turned off the burners. "Not at all."

Brian heard Alexis's voice behind him. "Please stay."

Brian turned around and chuckled. "Okay. I'll stay for a while."

The canine walked back into the living room and sat by Peter. He opened the soda and started watching the show Peter was watching. Alexis sat by Brian and looked at the television but didn't pay much attention to it. Peter and Brian chatted while Alexis was quiet. This went on until Lois came into the living room and announced that lunch was ready.

The four of them went into the dining room and ate. Lois asked, "So, Brian, what have you been up to?"

Brian took a bite and replied, energetically, "I just finished a script I was working on. I just mailed it today."

"Good luck," Lois said.

"Brian, you should get a steady job, like mine. Hey, maybe I can get you hired on to where I work," said Peter.

Brian shook his head. "I'm doing okay. Besides, I want to do something I enjoy." Changing the subject, he asked Alexis, "Are you enjoying your summer vacation?"

"Yes," the teenage girl responded.

"What have you been doing?"

Peter said, "She's just been staying in her room. Probably masturbating."

Alexis's cheeks turned red. "Dad! I haven't!"

Lois intervened. "Peter, that's inappropriate. It isn't our business whether Alexis masturbates or not. It's totally normal."

"Mom!" the teenage girl cried out. "You aren't helping!"

Brian saw the tension and again changed the subject. "This is delicious, Lois."

"Thank you, Brian," Lois said. Lois and Peter suddenly seemed to forget the conversation that they had just had with Alexis moments before.

The rest of the meal was spent talking about various things. Alexis was quiet and was the first to leave the table.

Brian stayed for a while after lunch, then he said goodbye to Peter and Lois. When the canine went outside, he saw his niece sitting in the front yard. He sat by her. "Hey, kiddo."

"I'm so embarrassed."

"I'm sure they didn't mean to do it."

"They ALWAYS embarrass me. It's like they don't even care."

"They do. Why don't you talk to them about how they make you feel?"

"I've tried. They just brush it off."

Brian paused. "Tell you what. How about we spend some time together sometime next week? Maybe getting you out of the house will give you a chance to clear your head."

Alexis cheered up and hugged him. "Thanks, Uncle Brian. You're the best!"

"No problem. Anything for my favorite niece."

They hugged again, then Brian left.


	2. Alone

Alexis didn't want to go back inside, but she was getting warm. It probably wasn't a good idea for her to wear a black long-sleeved shirt and black jeans, but it was her style. Reluctantly, she went back into the house.

She heard her mother scolding her father in the kitchen. "Peter, you know we're going to Daddy's party tonight!"

"Lois, you know those things bore me. All the people there are snobs."

"You promised you would go! Why can't you be more supportive?"

"Jesus, Lois, what's the big deal? It's just a freakin' party."

"Fine! Go to the bar and get drunk with your friends!"

"Gee, thanks, Lois," Peter said, sincerely. Lois huffed in frustration and stomped upstairs. By that time, Alexis was in her room, laying on her bed.

Her parents fought a lot, but lately, their arguments had become more frequent and harsher. Alexis was starting to wish that school would hurry up and start. It was the end of June, and the only good thing about summer was that her birthday was right before school began. This year, though, she wasn't looking forward to her birthday. 16 was a milestone age for most people, but for Alexis, it would just be a number. She would be one year older. Big fucking deal.

Alexis didn't have any friends she could hang out with, so her free time was spent in her room, reading or writing. She never showed her parents any of her work. The last time she did that, her father complained about it not having pictures, and her mother just said it was nice and went on to do something else. The teenager felt isolated and unimportant. The only one who actually showed any interest in her was her uncle, Brian, and he was almost always busy.

As she heard more yelling, a tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped it when she heard a knock on the door. When she said, "Come in," the door opened, and Lois stood in the doorway. She was dressed in a fancy teal dress and wearing pearls. She looked beautiful but weary. "Alexis, your father and I are going to be gone for a few hours. Will you be alright?"

"Yeah, Mom."

"Okay. See you later." Then, she left.

Soon afterward, Alexis heard the front door open and close again. She knew that her dad had just left. The house was now empty except for herself.

She began crying. She felt alone in the world, and hearing her parents constantly argue just made her feel worse.

She couldn't express her feelings to anyone. She didn't believe anyone cared enough about her enough to truly listen to her.

Alexis opened the drawer in her nightstand and rummaged underneath the various things in it until she found her only friend: a piece of glass from a vase she broke a few weeks before. She rolled up her sleeve, revealing scars that she managed to hide from everyone. As she ran the sharp glass across her skin, she saw the proof that she was human and did indeed exist. This was the only way she could cope with her life, her lonely, miserable life.

When she was done, she went to the bathroom to clean and treat the wounds. In the long run, the physical pain didn't help her, but it provided short-term relief and allowed her to forget about her emotional pain.

As soon as she left the bathroom, Alexis went into her bedroom and laid on the bed and fell asleep.


	3. 2:30 AM

Brian got back to his apartment before the sun was starting to set. He had a few more hours before he would go to bed, so he decided to start on a new script. He turned out his laptop and opened up a blank word processing document. He sat at his table, thinking of a title. "Summer Days…No…The Crown of Manhattan…No…New York Mystery…No."

The canine growled in frustration. His mind wasn't coming up with any good ideas. Maybe he was thinking too hard. He sighed and shut off his laptop. Perhaps a good night's sleep would help get his creative juices flowing. He laid on the couch and fell asleep.

At 2 AM, Brian's phone vibrated. He woke up and groggily looked at it. It was a text from Alexis. He read it. "Pls come get me."

Brian tried to wake up more. "What's wrong?" he texted back.

"Mom and Dad r fighting and I need to get out of here."

Brian debated whether he should go over to his brother's house. Alexis usually didn't ask him to do that, especially not at so late of a time. He decided to go, just in case. He got in his car and drove to Peter and Lois's house.

When Brian got to the door, he waited to knock. He could hear Peter and Lois yelling from inside. He hesitated. How would he explain why he was at their house at 2:30 in the morning? He decided he would just wing it. He knocked on the door.

Lois answered. She was still dressed up. "Brian? What are you doing here? It's 2:30." She sounded a little irritated.

"I remembered that I needed to ask you something. Is everything okay?"

Before she could answer, Brian heard Peter's voice from inside. "Who is it?" Peter came to the door. His speech was slurred. It was clear that he was intoxicated. "Oh, Brian! Hey, bro! What are you doing here?"

Lois said, "Peter, go back inside!"

"Ah, Lois, I can see my own brother if I want," Peter argued.

Brian was surprised. He had heard them complain to each other before, but he had never heard them argue like this. He suddenly felt uncomfortable. "Guys-"

He was interrupted. Alexis suddenly shoved past her parents and hugged Brian. Lois asked, "Alexis, what are you still doing up?"

"I can't sleep. You guys keep fighting," Alexis answered, almost in tears.

"Well, your mom is being a stick-in-the-mud," Peter said.

Lois struggled to keep calm. "You know that party was important to me. You decided to go get drunk with your buddies instead of going with me!"

"Stop it! Stop it!"

For the first time, Alexis broke down in front of both her parents and uncle. She sobbed uncontrollably. Brian continued to hug her. He said, "Guys, calm down. You should talk about this and work through it."

Lois and Peter calmed down a bit. "You're right, Brian. This has gotten out of control," Lois said.

"Yeah, I guess we should talk about it," agreed Peter.

Brian nodded. "That's great. Alexis, everything will be okay."

Alexis wouldn't let go of the canine. Lois said, "Alexis, come back inside. Your father and I aren't going to argue anymore."

The teenage girl shook her head. "I want to stay with Uncle Brian."

"How about Alexis spend the night at my place? You two can have alone time to work things out," Brian suggested.

Lois and Peter agreed. Alexis went inside and packed a bag, then she quickly came out and got in Brian's car, avoiding her parents. Brian got in the car, and he and Alexis headed to his apartment.


	4. An Odd Request

It was 3 in the morning when Brian and his niece got to his apartment. It was a little bit of a mess. He hadn't had the motivation to clean. He was exhausted. "Sorry about the mess, kid."

"I don't care. I just want to be with you, away from them." Alexis seemed wide awake.

Brian yawned. "We need sleep. You can have the bed."

"No, it's your place."

"You're my guest. I'll sleep on the chair. I'll be fine."

Alexis laid on the bed while Brian laid on a chair, curled up like a dog. He almost immediately fell asleep.

The teenage girl looked around at the apartment, unable to sleep. It was quiet. There was no fighting, no loud noises, nothing but peace, at least inside the apartment, anyway. Inside her mind, it was the total opposite. She knew she should sleep, but she couldn't silence her thoughts. Finally, she got up and walked to the bathroom as quietly as she could. She looked through the medicine cabinet to see if her uncle has anything that would put her to sleep. She spotted some allergy pills and took three. Then she quietly went back out and laid on the bed. It didn't take her long to fall asleep.

"Alexis? Alexis, wake up."

Brian shook his niece. It was 3 PM, so she had been asleep for 12 hours. He was starting to worry, but he didn't show it.

Alexis groaned and turned over. Brian shook her again, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey, kid, it's 3 in the afternoon."

"I'm tired."

"I know we didn't get home until late, but you've been asleep for 12 hours."

"I took some allergy meds to fall asleep."

Brian went into the bathroom and saw that three pills were missing. He sighed and went back to the living room, where Alexis had fallen asleep again. He shook her, and she woke up. "Why did you take my pills without asking?" he asked, annoyed.

"You were asleep, and I didn't want to wake you up. I couldn't sleep, so I took a few pills."

"Don't do it again. Ask next time."

"Sorry."

Alexis didn't make eye contact with him. He relaxed. "Don't worry about it. It's not that big of a deal. I just don't want you taking too many."

Alexis got out of bed. She noticed Brian's laptop was open. "Working on another script?"

"Yeah," he replied, unhappily. "I just can't come up with any good ideas. I guess I should relax and get my creative juices flowing. Anyway, I should probably take you home."

Alexis panicked. "No, please, don't send me home yet!"

"Calm down, Alex. I'm sure your mom and dad have worked things out by now."

"Can't I stay another hour?"

"Yeah."

Alexis got up and hugged him. She laid her head on his shoulder. "Everything is going to be alright," Brian said, trying to comfort her.

"Hold me," she said, like a child.

"Uh, you're a little old to be held. You should ask your dad to do that, or get a stuffed animal."

"He doesn't like physical affection," Alexis said, "not from me, anyway."

Brian didn't understand females. He had dated a lot of them, but he didn't understand their need for physical contact. Hugs were okay sometimes from certain people, but what his niece wanted was a little odd. On the other hand, she seemed very upset, and if her being held made her feel better, then he supposed it wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, I'll hold you, but just this once."

Brian folded the hideaway bed back into the couch and sat on the couch. Alexis sat by him and laid her head on his chest. He put his arm around her. He felt silly, but he sensed that she was starting to feel better.

They sat like this for awhile until Brian got up. "It's time to go," he said.

The teenage girl nodded, a little calmer now. They left the apartment and went to Peter and Lois's house.


	5. 180 Degrees

When Alexis got home, she was surprised that her parents weren't fighting or complaining. Lois even hugged her and said, "Welcome home, sweetie."

"Your mom and I worked everything out. From now on, things are gonna be different around here," Peter said.

Lois looked at Brian. "Thank you for taking care of Alexis today."

Brian smiled. "No problem. Well, I need to get going."

Peter said, "Hey, Brian, why don't you come over on Friday night? My buddies and I are going to play cards here."

"Sure," the canine said with a smile.

The family said goodbye to Brian, and he left.

At first, Alexis was skeptical of the change. Her parents had made lots of broken promises in the past, and she thought that this time would be no different. She was pleasantly surprised when they seemed to be true to their word. They were a lot nicer to her and to each other. They talked to her more and seemed more invested in her life.

That Wednesday, while Lois and Alexis were doing the dishes after dinner, Lois started a conversation.

"So, how is summer vacation going?"

Alexis dried a plate and replied, "Okay so far."

"That's nice. Do you have a boyfriend?"

"No."

"Well, I'm sure when you get one, he'll be a nice young man."

"I hope so. I'm not really focused on love right now. I'm doing a lot of writing."

"That's nice."

Alexis and Peter watched a lot of television that week. They didn't talk as much as she and Lois did, probably because she was a girl and they really couldn't connect, but things were way better between them now.

Alexis had more hope that things would get better. Life at home was now better.


	6. Friday Night

Friday night came. Brian sat in his apartment, debating whether or not to go to Peter and Lois's that evening. He was having one of his spells where nothing seemed to be going his way, where it felt like life was dealing him a bad hand. His love life was almost nonexistent, nobody would accept any of his scripts, and he lived in a crappy apartment. His life was hell. Sometimes, he thought it would be easier if he just ended it, ended it all, but he was too much of a coward to.

He didn't really feel like going, but he didn't have anything better to do, so he decided to go.

Peter set up the card table while Lois and Alexis prepared the snacks. Just as they got finished, the guests started arriving one by one. Cleveland Brown, Joe Swanson, and Glen Quagmire. Brian showed up last. Alexis wanted to hug Brian but decided against it, thinking it would embarrass both him and her father.

"Come in, guys," Peter said. All the guys sat at the table. Lois and Alexis brought in the snacks. Lois frowned when she saw Quagmire bring in a few cases of beer.

"Peter, you said you weren't going to drink anymore," she said, starting to get mad.

"Ah, Lois, a few beers aren't gonna hurt."

"Yeah, as long as he doesn't drive, he won't be breaking the law," said Joe.

"Looks like your wife has you on a leash, Peter," Cleveland said.

All of the guys except Peter and Brian laughed. Peter was offended, and Brian was too depressed to find much of anything funny. "I am NOT on a leash! I can do whatever I want!" huffed Peter.

"Sure, man. We understand," Quagmire smirked. He turned his attention to Brian. "So, Brian, you've been awful quiet. How's things been going?"

It was no secret that Quagmire hated Brian. Brian knew that he wasn't actually interested in the canine's life; he just wanted to find something to taunt him about. Brian simply answered, "Fine."

"Got a girlfriend?"

"No."

"You'll find a broad someday who can tolerate you," Quagmire laughed.

Brian wanted to say something, but he wasn't in the mood for a fight, so he didn't respond. Thankfully, he didn't have to because the other guys started talking about their love lives as they started playing.

Alexis peeked in from the kitchen and watched them for a little bit, then she noticed that Lois had disappeared. Curious, the teenager looked for her. She found her downstairs doing laundry, which was strange since it was so late. Alexis was startled when Lois slammed the washing machine door shut. "Mom?" she asked.

Lois looked up at her. "Hi, Alexis," she said, annoyed, but not at her daughter.

Though she knew what was wrong, Alexis asked anyway. Lois replied, "I know EXACTLY what's going to happen. Your father is going to get drunk and do stupid things. He never listens to me."

"Talk to him about it. Put a stop to it before it's too late."

"It won't do any good. He doesn't give a crap."

"Try."

Lois sighed, and they both went upstairs. Lois went into the living room. Unfortunately, all of the guys were already buzzed. "Peter!"

"Oh, hey, Lois, could you get us more chips?"

"You broke your promise! You told us that you would never drink again!"

"Relax, Lois. I can't just quit cold turkey."

"You don't care about anyone but yourself! This is the final straw! We are through!"

The whole room became silent. Peter finally said, "Come on. You don't mean that."

"I do! I want you out of here by Sunday."

"Where am I supposed to go?"

"Well, since your friends support your choices, you can stay with one of them. Now, everybody out!"

Alexis ran out the back door. She had a good idea what was going to happen for the rest of the night, and she didn't want to stick around for it. She snuck into the back of Brian's car. A few minutes later, she heard him get in, and soon, they were moving. Alexis stayed quiet. As long as she was there, she would be okay…at least, for now.


	7. The End

Brian stumbled to his apartment and with difficulty, unlocked the door. He went in and flopped on the couch. It had been a long night. He immediately fell asleep.

At noon, he woke up. He felt like crap, but he got up, anyway. He checked the mail. When he saw a few bills, he sighed. It wasn't like he could pay all of them, anyway.

Suddenly, the canine spotted a big envelope among the bills. His spirits lifted; it was from the publisher that he had sent his previous script to. Excited, he ran inside, put the bills on the table, and opened the large envelope. He took out the paper and read it.

It was a rejection letter.

Brian's mood plunged, and his hopes were dashed. He should have been used to failure by now, but each rejection chipped away at him bit by bit. He had been so sure someone would accept that script since he thought it was the best one he had ever written, but obviously, it wasn't.

He needed to get his mind off of it. Then, he remembered that he had met a woman the day before who gave him her number. Maybe this was his chance to go on a date and forget his troubles. He dialed the number on his cell phone and waited.

A man answered the phone. Brian asked, "Hi, is Patricia there?"

"Who?"

"Patricia. She gave me this number."

"I don't know a Patricia."

"Maybe I dialed the wrong number. Sorry."

Brian hung up and examined the number carefully. He swore that he had put it on his phone right. He dialed it again, and this time, the same man answered it. Then, Brian came to a realization: Patricia had given him a phony number.

Brian threw his phone and sat on his couch, head in his paws. This was it, the epitome of despair. His career and love life were going nowhere. Nothing ever went right for him. He was a failure, and nothing would ever change that.

Alexis woke up when she heard the car start. Her heart began racing. She wasn't ready to go home. She waited until the car stopped to look out the window. Thankfully, they weren't at her house. She saw her uncle go into a gun shop. She was confused; she didn't know Brian had an interest in guns. She stayed in the car and hoped that he wouldn't see her. The teenage girl heard him open and close the trunk, get in the driver's seat, and drive away.

Alexis had to tell him sometime. She wasn't sure if it was wise or even necessary to tell him that she had spent the night in his car. Her thoughts were interrupted when the car stopped. Alexis heard Brian get out and open and close the trunk. When she looked out the window, she saw him walking in with a pistol. Alexis was confused. What would her uncle be doing with a pistol?

Brian closed the door to his apartment and sat on the bed, holding the gun. He loaded it, then stared at it. He was terrified yet relieved. In a few short moments, his pain would be over. All the unhappiness he had felt would no longer matter. This thought made him happy. It was sad that the thought of killing himself made him happy, that it had all come down to this. He supposed that some people and dogs weren't meant to have a good life.

He briefly thought of his family: his mother and stepfather, his brother and sister-in-law, and his niece. None of them would miss him, so his thoughts about them passed as quickly as they came.

Brian sighed and summed up his courage. He took a deep breath and put the gun to his head.


	8. Refund

Alexis thought about what she was going to tell her uncle when she came in. She would say, "I really need to get away from home, and I have no where else to go." No, that would technically be a lie. She could go to her grandparents', Carter and Barbara Pewterschmidt, house, but she didn't really like them. They were snobby and shallow. She could say, "You are the family member that lives closest to me." That would work.

The teenager walked to Brian's apartment and absent-mindedly opened the door without knocking. Before she could say anything, she saw the canine holding the pistol to his head. She screamed, and he looked at her, startled. Alexis ran toward Brian and hugged him, tightly, and started crying.

"Alexis, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"Please don't leave!"

Brian tried to push her away, but she held on for dear life. He didn't have the energy to keep struggling, so he said, calmer, "Alex, let go."

"I won't let you go until you promise not to kill yourself!"

Brian wasn't sure if he could make that promise. Sure, he could lie to her to get her off his back, but that wouldn't feel right. "Okay, I promise not to shoot myself."

"No, that's not good enough! Promise you won't kill yourself at all!"

"Alex, come on." Brian sighed. He didn't want to tell his niece about his problems, but maybe she would sympathize with his decision if he did. "Look, I don't have a reason to go on. My life has gone to shit. It has always been shit, and it's not going to get any better. I can't keep going like this. It's too late for me."

Alexis's grip loosened a bit, but she didn't let go. "It would be too late if you killed yourself. Maybe instead of just depending on luck, you should make yourself a reason to go on. You're a smart guy. Maybe you should take a step back and think of ways you can change your life. But if you give up, you won't have any chance of being happy. I would miss you if you left. You're the only one who pays attention to me. If I lost you…I'd have nobody."

Brian was surprised how insightful Alexis was and how much he actually meant to her. He just thought he was the uncle that occasionally came around. It cheered him up a little that he meant a lot to at least someone. And maybe she was right. Maybe he really did need to take a step back and examine his life instead of going through the motions. For the first time in his life, he had hope.

Brian put down the gun while Alexis still hugged him. He said, softly, "Okay, kiddo, I promise I won't kill myself."

She looked at him with red, teary eyes. He smiled a little to reassure her, and she smiled back.

"Hey, tell you what: How about I return the gun and use part of the refund to get us some ice cream?"

"I'm really tired," Alexis said. She didn't sleep well in the car, and she was exhausted from holding on to him so tightly.

"Okay, you can crash here for a bit while I get some ice cream. What kind do you want?"

"Strawberry."

"No problem. I'll be back soon."

Brian left, and Alexis fell asleep. When he came back, he put her ice cream in the freezer. He sat in a chair and whispered, "Thanks, kiddo," before eating his ice cream.


End file.
